Margaret and Katherine Kleveland gathered supporters of their four-year-old Los Angeles clothing brand Dôen at Gjelina restaurant Monday night to toast their first capsule collection for Net-a-porter.
The two sisters, who built their brand of romantic, Victorian-inspired prairie blouses and dresses through a collective of female tastemakers and social media reach, also shared that they will be opening their first permanent brick-and-mortar retail store this summer at Brentwood Country Mart.
“We just got the keys today,” said Katherine, twinning with Margaret in Dôen all-white dresses on the rooftop of the Venice, Calif., restaurant. “We’re very excited to be in Irene Neuwirth’s company,” she said of the L.A. jewelry designer’s new store in the retail center, where Dôen had a pop-up store last year.
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But first, they were there to celebrate the 15-piece Net-a-porter capsule launched this week, which retails from $135 to $305, and includes blouses, summer frocks and sundresses in “crispy sun-dried” cottons; “salt,” “prairie blue” and “nutmilk” solid hues, as well as allover ditzy poppy and garden blossom prints.
“It’s a treat for everyone to be able to be here and be together,” said Katherine of the dinner party, which started with an acoustic performance by Primrose Forever Sanctuary, led by Dôen muse and model Alyssa Miller. “It’s an exciting mix of women who have been supporting us since really early on, and seeing everyone styled and wearing the clothes their own way is seeing the designs jump off the sketch for me.”
Indeed, there were so many people all the chairs could barely fit around the dinner table, which had a Dôen hair accessory and floral scarf at every setting. “When I think about all the moments that led to tonight, I realize it’s a culmination of first times,” said Margaret, toasting the first time she met several of the women she credits with helping to build the brand, including stylist Samantha Traina, photographer Hilary Walsh and hairstylist Tracy Cunningham, a partner in the business.
“I’ve got all the dresses,” said Busy Philipps, wearing a sundress from the latest Net-a-porter collaboration.
Garance Doré said of Dôen, “I like that it’s real and you can throw it in the washing machine, you can take it out to dinner or to the market in the morning. And the price point is amazing.”
“There is a whole section of my closet dedicated to Dôen,” said Michelle Monaghan, who appeared in one of the brand’s first journal features. “And the timing was kismet. Everyone is really conscious now of women-led companies. It’s wonderful people caught on.”